Bed clothes holder



Nov. 5, 1963 s. R. GILPATRICK 3,109,181

BED CLOTHES HOLDER Filed April 2, 1962 2/ I5 lu j IIIRHE FIG. 2

INVEN TOR. SHERMAN 0/1. PflT/P/CK Unite States Wyo.

, This invention relates to a bed clothes holding device and has for itsprincipal object the provision of a neat, simple, holding device, whichcan be quickly and easily mounted on a conventional bed, by means ofwhich the foot extremities of the top bed clothes such as the sheets,blankets, quilts, etc., may be quickly, uniformly and smoothly tuckedbetween the mattress and the springs at the foot of a bed and which willsecurely retain the foot extremities of the top bed clothes in place inthe tucked position until renewal or replacement is desired.

The principal object of this invention is to provide simple, economicaland easily used means which will prevent the bed clothes from beingpulled loose at the foot of the bed during use so that the bed can bequickly and easily remade after use by simply pulling and smoothing thebed clothes toward the head of the bed, the time and attention usuallyrequired to remake the foot of the bed being entirely eliminated.

Another object is to provide means for holding the bed clothes in placeon beds of the modern type having exceedingly low or no foot boards. Inbeds of this type, it has been diflicult to retain the foot extremitiesof the top bed clothes smoothly in place, especially when the beds aresubjected to day time use such as in hotels or the like, and, since bedsof this type fully expose the bed clothes, it is exceedingly importantthat they be smoothly positioned and securely retained in place. This isaccomplished with the use of the present invention, as will be fullydescribed in the following specification, in Which reference is had tothe accompanying drawing forming a part hereof.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a detail perspective view of the complete improved bed clothesholder as it would appear ready for attachment to the bed;

FIG. 2 is a detail, top employed herein;

FIG. 3 is a detail, inside elevational view of the bracket element ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational, diagrammatic view of the footportion of a conventional bed of the low-foot-board type showing theposition of the invention thereon and in the open position; and

FIG. 5 is a similar fragmentary side elevational, diagrammatic viewshowing the invention in place and in the closed, clothes-retainingposition.

In the drawing, elements of a conventional bed are designated bynumerals as follows: foot board 10, side rails 11, box springs 12, andmattress 13. The top bed clothes such as the sheets, blankets, etc. havebeen diagrammatically indicated by the reference numeral 14.

This invention is designed to simultaneously tuck the foot extremitiesof the top bed clothes 14 between the foot extremities of the boxsprings 12 and the mattress 13 throughout the entire width of the footof the bed and to securely retain them in place therebetween untilcomplete removal is desired.

The invention comprises two similar upstanding bracket post members 15having a vertical height substantially equal to the vertical height ofthe box springs 12. The bracket post members are similar but of oppositehand and are preferably, but not necessarily, formed of sheet metalstampings provided with attachment holes 27. Each stamping is formedwith a horizontal bottom flange 16 provided with attachment holes 17 andvertical front plan view of a bracket element "atent O flange 18 alsoprovided with attachment holes 19. The flanges l6 and 18 extend at rightangles to the post member 15 and at right angles to each other, and theflanges of the two opposite hand bracket members face inwardly towardeach other when the device is assembled.

A'swingable arm member 20 is pivotally mounted on a pivot bolt or pivotrivet 2.1 at the upper extremity of each post member. The upperextremity of the front flange 18 of each bracket member terminates belowthe arm member 28 to form a stop or shoulder 22 to support the arm inthe horizontal position when swung outwardly as shown in FIG. 3. Theouter extremities of the arm members 20 are turned inwardly, asindicated at 23, and the inwardly turned extermities 23 are arcuatelyindented transversally to form channels for receiving the outerextremities of relatively light-weight metallic tubes 24 and 25. Thetubes 24 and 2 5 are secured in their channels in any desired mannersuch as by means of suitable rivets 26. One of the tubes is of largerdiameter than the other so that in use the inner extremities of the twotubes 24 and 25 are telescopically fitted together to form what will beherein referred to as a tuck bar of adjustable length.

The device can be installed on a bed in either of two ways. Forinstance, the two bracket post members may be placed against the twocorners of the box springs 12 at the foot of the latter and permanentlysecured in place by attachment devices such as screws passed through anyof the attachment holes 17, 19, and 27. Or the bottomflanges 16 can berested on the side rails 11 in alignment with the foot of the boxsprings and secured to the rails by means of bolts or rivets passedthrough its holes 17. It can be seen that the smaller tube 25 can betelescopically adjusted within the larger tube 24 to enable the bracketpost members 15 to be moved inwardly and outwardly to fit to beds ofvarying widths.

When the bed is made up, the foot extremities of the top clothes 14 areallowed to depend downwardly between the arms 20 and forwardly of thetuck bar as shown in FIG. 4 The foot of the mattress 13 is then slightlylifted and the tuck bar is swung forwardly against the depending clothes14 so that the clothes will be neatly tucked forwardly to a foldedposition around the tuck bar and between the mattress 13 and the boxsprings 12, as shown in FIG. 5. Thus, by simply swingly the arm members20 forwardly, the bed clothes will be uniformly tucked throughout theirwidth beneath the mattress and will be securely retained in place untilmanually released.

The bed clothes can be released by simply pulling them upwardly andoutwardly so that they will slightly lift the foot of the mattress andswing the tuck bar upwardly and outwardly to the released position ofFIG. 4. They can also be released by grasping the two arm members 20 inthe two hands and swinging them upwardly and rear-wardly.

While the holding device has been described, and is more particularlyuseful for holding the foot extremities of the top bed clothes in place,the exact same construction in a longer form could be used for tuckingin and retaining the side edges of the top bed clothes if desired.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described andillustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be variedwithin the scope of the appended claims, without departing from thespirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired to besecured by Letters Patent is:

1. A bed clothes holder (for a bed, of the type having a box springsupported from and between two side rails and a mattress resting on andsupported by said box spring comprising: an upstanding bracket postmember resting on and secured to each of said side rails at the side ofand adjacent the foot of said box spring; a pivot element supported byeach bracket post, said pivot elements being aligned with each otherwith their axes vertically fixed in the plane separating said mattressfrom said box spring and forwardly of the foot extremity of said boxspring; an arm member pivoted at its one extremity on each of said pivotelements; and a cross bar secured to and extending between the otherextremities of said arm members so that when said arm members are swunghorizontally ionward said cross bar will lie in the plane separatingsaid mattress from said box spring and between said mattress and saidbox spring.

2. A bed clothes holder as described in claiml having a horizontalflange formed on the bottom of each bracket post, said flanges extendingin parallel relation toward the head of said bed and adapted to rest onsaid side rails; and means for clamping said flanges to said side rails.

3. A bed comprising: two side rails; means supporting said rails fromthe floor; a box spring structure supported on said side rails; amattress supported on said box spring; top bed clothes supported on saidmattress; a post member secured on each side rail adjacent the .foot

of and at the sides of said box spring; arm members pivoted on said postmembers and extending horizontally and forwardly therefrom; and a crossbar mounted on and extending between the forward extremities of said armmembers and positioned between said mattress and said box spring, thefoot extremities'of said top bed clothes extending downwardly over thefoot of said mattress thence forwardly between said mattress and saidspring and over and around said cross bar thence extending rearward-1ytherefrom to create a double -fold between said spring and mattress sothat [the weight of said mattress will retain said fold and said crossbar in positionjwith the foot extremities of said top bed clothesextending thereabout.

4. A bed clothes holder as described in claim 2 having vertical rearflanges formed on said post members, said rear flanges terminating belowsaid arm members and acting as a stop to prevent said arm members fromswinging downwardly beyond a horizontal position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A BED CLOTHES HOLDER FOR A BED, OF THE TYPE HAVING A BOX SPRINGSUPPORTED FROM AND BETWEEN TWO SIDE RAILS AND A MATTRESS RESTING ON ANDSUPPORTED BY SAID BOX SPRING COMPRISING: AN UPSTANDING BRACKET POSTMEMBER RESTING ON AND SECURED TO EACH OF SAID SIDE RAILS AT THE SIDE OFAND ADJACENT THE FOOT OF SAID BOX SPRING; A PIVOT ELEMENT SUPPORTED BYEACH BRACKET POST, SAID PIVOT ELEMENTS BEING ALIGNED WITH EACH OTHERWITH THEIR AXES VERTICALLY FIXED IN THE PLANE SEPARATING SAID MATTRESSFROM SAID BOX SPRING AND FORWARDLY OF THE FOOT EXTREMITY OF SAID BOXSPRING; AN ARM MEMBER PIVOTED AT ITS ONE EXTREMITY ON EACH OF SAID PIVOTELEMENTS; AND A CROSS BAR SECURED TO AND EXTENDING BETWEEN THE OTHEREXTREMITIES OF SAID ARM MEMBERS SO THAT WHEN SAID ARM MEMBERS ARE SWUNGHORIZONTALLY FORWARD SAID CROSS BAR WILL LIE IN THE PLANE SEPARATINGSAID MATTRESS FROM SAID BOX SPRING AND BETWEEN SAID MATTRESS AND SAIDBOX SPRING.